Saturday, September 30

Streamathon - Harry Dean Stanton (October 2017)

Streamathon

Harry Dean Stanton (October 2017)

Preface: This is part of an ongoing blog series of curated movie
marathons that are thematically or otherwise tied together. The other common
factor tying these films together will be their availability to watch them all
from the comfort of your own home on various streaming platforms. The goal is
that writing this blog will somehow justify the excessive number of streaming
platforms I subscribe to. The films will be found on some combination of Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Mubi, FilmStruck, and/or Fandor. These titles will be
available for the month that the blog is published. All of these subscriptions
offer free trials so feel free to dive in and follow along… Have fun. Just
don’t message me for my login information.

By: Emery Martin-Snyder

Harry Dean Stanton – The cinematic universe lost a true
maverick earlier this year. Actor Harry Dean Stanton passed away on September
15th. He was 91 years old. Stanton was probably the most
quintessentially hardworking presences ever captured on celluloid. His work has
been featured in over 100 films over the past 50 years. After his memorable
roll in Ridley Scott’s ALIEN (1979), he started to gain a lot more notoriety.
80’s arthouse and indy filmmakers like Wim Wenders and Alex Cox took notice and
gave him leading rolls. Cox’s 1984 punk rock masterpiece REPO MAN is one of
the most delightfully weird films of the decade. Unfortunately, that film isn’t
currently available to stream from anywhere but I would encourage any budding
cinefiles to seek it out.

I decided to write this edition of Streamathon in
celebration of his amazing career. I’m also very excited to see his upcoming
final film LUCKY, directed by fellow underrated character actor John Carroll
Lynch, released September 29th.

The Stream

DEATH WATCH (1980)

Directed by Bertrand Tavernier –
Streaming on FilmStruck

The title references a television show that is
documenting the death of a beautiful, young, but terminally ill woman. Roddy (Harvey
Keitel) is the show’s videographer and he shoots it with a special camera
system implanted into his brain, unbeknownst to the woman. Stanton is the
show’s producer. Ultimately cold and calculating his motivations for TV
ratings, he does a great job of understating his Snidely Whiplash like
wickedness. At times he even fools the audience.

ONE FROM THE HEART (1982)

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
– Streaming on Hulu

This is Coppola’s most stylized film. A box office flop at
the time of its release, it is finally seeing something of a cult revival.
There’s a good reason for this. The production design and costumes, all shot by
master cinematographer Vittorio Storaro and layered on top of original music by
Tom Waits, give this film a very unique tone. Stanton’s part, like most in his
career, was small and supportive. His hair, on the other hand, is inspiring. I
think this is a great example of a Stanton performance because although the
material is overwrought and even a little goofy, the earnestness in the cast’s
performances keeps the audience engaged.

PARIS, TEXAS (1984)

Directed by Wim Wenders – Streaming on
FilmStruck

You can’t talk about 80’s arthouse cinema without Wim
Wenders. Both this film and WINGS OF DESIRE are amazing. This is one of the few
examples you will find of Harry Dean Stanton in the lead role. I really can’t
say enough good things about this. It’s like the softest of all heartbreaks and
Stanton’s performance here is perfect. If you don’t watch anything else from
this list, watch this one. It’s at least worth the trial subscription.

TWISTER (1989)

Directed by Michael Almereyda – Streaming
on Amazon Prime Video

Nope, not that one you remember from the 90’s. This one is
far more interesting, and weird. Come for the Harry Dean Stanton, stay for
Crispin Glover’s very strange performance. Stanton plays the patriarch of a
rich and dysfunctional family all stuck together trying to weather out a Kansas
storm. Make sure you sit through the credits to hear Crispin Glover’s original
music. It’s very bizarre because….why wouldn’t it be?

WISE BLOOD (1979)

Directed by John Huston – Streaming on FilmStruck

This is another great film with a small but crucial performance
from Stanton. This story takes place in a Southern town full of fraudulent
street preachers and prophets. A young disillusioned Army Vet shows up full of
cynicism and rage. It’s Stanton’s character, snake-oil peddler Asa Hawks, that
seems to push our lead finally over the edge. This film has a lot going on. It
actually reminds me of Marcello Clerici, the main character from Bernardo
Bertolucci’s THE CONFORMIST if he existed in the American South right after
WWII.